Metals

With "The Bad in Each Other," Feist's fourth album begins at a leisurely plod before it's quickly swept up in an orchestral squall; "Graveyard" then starts with sparse acoustic picking before funereal horns trudge and a chorus of Feists chants, "Whoa-oa-oa, bring 'em all back to life." This is how most of the first half of Metals flows -- the drama sneaks up on you as Feist's lullaby coo never ceases its warm embrace. But after "A Commotion," the liveliest track here, the second half seems hypnotized by its own siren, slowing down to a rustic crawl that hints at the record's Big Sur origins.